[Assam] NE on radar of Bangla-based Jehadis

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

NE on radar of Bangla-based Jehadis
By R Dutta Choudhury
 GUWAHATI, Aug 30 – Jehadi groups from Bangladesh, under the banner of United Jehad Council based in the neighbouring country, have launched efforts to create disturbance in the North East region of India and the ultimate aim of the groups backed by the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is to cut off the region from the rest of the country. Of late, the police and security agencies came across disturbing intelligence inputs about the attempts of the Jehadi elements and all the forces involved in the counter-insurgency operations have been alerted to thwart the move of such anti-national forces.

Highly placed police sources said that almost all the Jehadi groups have come under a common umbrella organisation, that is the Bangladesh based United Jehad Council, and what is more disturbing is that such groups have also started extending help to the militant groups of the region to achieve their own goal. In fact, last month, intelligence agencies came across reports that Jehadi elements from Bangladesh entered Assam along with the members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to create disturbance during the Independence Day celebrations.

Police said that according to intelligence inputs, at least six to seven Jehadi elements belonging to the Jamat ul Mujahideen and Harkat ul Jehadi Islami managed to sneak into Assam from Bangladesh last month by taking advantage of the porous international border and their assigned task is to create disturbance in Guwahati city. Sources said that they managed to enter Assam through Mankachar in Dhubri district and police now know the names of two of them. They are Rezaul Karim, an explosive expert, and Jahir Ali, both Bangladeshi nationals. However, despite best efforts, the police and security forces have not been able to nab them as yet and they are still at large.

Police said that last year also, a group of Jehadi elements managed to penetrate into Assam with an assignment to create major disturbance in the State and they were planning a series of blasts on trains on July 23. But fortunately, the security agencies came to know about the plan just a few days before and it was foiled. This time also, the security agencies managed to get hold of information about the plans of the Jehadi elements but so far those who entered the state are yet to be traced, which kept the police and security agencies on their toes.

Sources revealed that taking advantage of a sizeable number of migrant population in certain districts of Assam, the Jehadi elements are trying to establish their roots in the state and they also extended help to organisations like the MULFA and MULTA. Sources said that their goal is to establish network and organise “sleeper cells” that would work as informers and would also provide shelter to the Jehadi elements sent from Bangladesh to create disturbance in the state.

It may be mentioned here that in the late 1990s, the network of the ISI-backed organizations in Assam were busted following the arrests of four ISI operatives in the city and on the basis of their interrogation report, at least 40 Harkat Ul Mujahideen (HUM) militants, some of whom were trained in Pakistan, were arrested from different parts of the State. After lying low for some time after the busting of the network, the Jehadi elements have once again started their efforts to establish roots in Assam and in recent times also, a number of youths were reportedly taken to Bangladesh for training. However, police admitted that there is no report of youths being taken to Pakistan in recent times. Police claimed that though the Jehadi elements coming into the state from Bangladesh could not be nabbed, a number of MULTA and MULFA activists were arrested. In the last three years, at least 50 Islamic militants were arrested and about the same number of militants surrendered and
 from them, the police and security agencies managed to know a great deal about the game plan of the groups.

On the links between ULFA and Jehadi elements, police said that according to information available with the intelligence agencies, the Jehadi groups extended help not only to the ULFA but also to other militant groups and one aim is to achieve the goal of creating disturbance. The Jehadi elements by helping out the militant groups, also managed to ensure security to one particular community of people, sources pointed out.

Police said that the ULFA is still maintaining links with the ISI and the Pakistani agency is providing explosives, PTD switches, timer devices etc to the militant outfit. Sources said that in the 1990s, at least 20 ULFA members were given training in Pakistan in handling of explosives, particularly programmable time devices and now the role of the ISI is limited to providing explosives and other materials.

       
---------------------------------
Got a little couch potato? 
Check out fun summer activities for kids.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20070831/d48cd561/attachment.htm>